June 5th, 2015|

It was with great honor that the Consulate of Portugal in Palm Coast received a lithograph of a painting by Domingos Rebelo. The work, entitled “Os Emigrantes” (“The Emigrants”), was offered by the couple Laudelino and Graça Vieira, two Portuguese business people residing in Palm Coast.

Domingos Rebelo (1891-1975), born in Ponta Delgada, attended the Julian Academy in Paris beginning in 1907.

In Portugal, he participated in the first Exposição de Arte Livre (Free Exhibition), held in Lisbon in 1911, with the painting entitled “Velha Açoreana” (“Old Azorean Woman”), a work that marked an approximation to the reality of the Azorean heritage of the time, despite the modern tendencies of the exhibition.

In 1913, he returned to São Miguel, where he participated in various local art expositions and collaborated with the Section of Art of the Museum of Ponta Delgada. That time period of art was essentially recognized for its portraits and landscapes of various themes, developed within the vision of modernity, both in terms of colors and brush stroke.

In a letter dated December 14, 1923, he revealed to the poet Armando Cortes-Rodrigues his reason for maintaining the regional characteristics of the Azorean heritage in his paintings.

While “Os Emigrantes” (“The Emigrants”), 1926, finds itself integrated in the ideas of regionalism, this painting can also be classified as a representation of a social phenomenon, presenting itself as a unifying emblem of the concept of “Azorean” heritage, as revealed in an analysis by the researcher Louis Ribeiro during the time period. To strengthen the central theme in his piece, the artist utilizes the traditional dress and other identifying elements of the painting’s region, such as the old wharf which served as a Customs post before the construction of the Marginal Avenue of Ponta Delgada, joining to these elements others that portray the region’s deep cultural roots, such as the traditional guitar of the region and the inclusion of the Holy Christ.

The figure with the hat, located on the left side of the piece, denotes the artist’s social consciousness.

This work is now on display inside the Consulate.

The Consulate of Portugal in Palm Coast appreciates this offer and kindness from the Vieira couple.